A/N: Welcome to the last chapter! I hope it lives to your expectations.

No, I didn't pair everyone. Please assume that people who aren't officially shown as paired are still single and happily dealing with their lives without worrying too much about settling down. Which is just about the norm for 20-somethings with busy lives everywhere :D

Edit: if you're reading this story after I ended it, please log in to review so I can talk to you, I can't answer your questions and such if you don't :D Know that I do read all your reviews, though :D

And now, for the end of The End:

Months later, the original Sasuke stepped through Konoha's gates for the first time in six years.

It was the week of the second celebration of the end of the Fourth Ninja War, and Naruto's birthday.

Many things had changed, both in the continent and in the island in the previous months.

The first, and least surprising of all, had been a formal request by Maito Gai, Rock Lee and other ninja of all nations to organize what they called "The Peace Games", to be held biannually in the Capital City of each country that was part of what was quickly known as the Alliance.

Ninja and civilians everywhere had quickly adhered to the idea, as it catered to their naturally competitive nature without risking their lives. Already teams for different sports, both ordinary and based on ninja abilities, were being formed.

Another thing was the implementation of public services. The clans had been meeting every week, and different teams had been sent to many villages to gather data over what the population needed.

The tracker clans had forged strong bonds. The Hyuuga found that the Byakugan had a wide variety of uses besides fighting, from tracking smugglers to medical services. Not only that, but since the branch family members had less specific training requirements, they were even more flexible and useful than the main family members. Hinata had sent Naruto many letters about the small revolution of its own that had been occurring, and her own happiness as a brand-new rescue paramedic, working together with Kiba and Shino.

Along with Naruto and Sasuke were Tsunade, Juugo and Iruka, who had decided to move definitely into the island – which had been named Yume no kuni, the Land of Dreams, by the other nations. Islanders thought it the height of ironic comedy – in search of either spiritual training, in the case of Juugo, or to reconnect family ties, of the other two.

Karin, Sai and Ino were also in their party. Sai had decided to accompany Ino in studying under the monks and miko to better understand how to use her kekkei genkai to help people with emotional and psychological issues, and Sai had gone to try to better understand himself.

Karin had at first wanted to live definitely in the island, but after Haruka had shown her the Uzumaki genealogy scrolls, and told her of the few scattered Uchiha alive in the continent, she had enthusiastically taken for herself the chore of scouting the survivors of both clans. She would be leaving the Fire Country, after the ceremonies they were to attend in Konoha.

"Are you absolutely sure you wanna go alone? Cause ya know, we're gonna be walking up and down the continent too after all the mountains this bastard's gotta visit, it wouldn't be any trouble for us to help you out, I mean, it's our families," Naruto had offered when she had told them of her plans, at the house she shared with Tsunade at the central village, near Amaterasu's temple.

"Nope, it's better I go alone, you two are too well known. And no offense, but I kinda feel the need to be alone for a while. Finding out you still have family after being alone for so long is… kinda overwhelming, you know?" she said, and Sasuke nodded.

"Yes, it is. But anyway, if you need anything, there'll be at least a clone of this idiot in every country, so don't give in to your family traits and use a summons to call it if you need anything, ok?" he had said.

Not everything was warm and fuzzy feelings, though.

Sasuke was discussing the proceedings for the ceremony to be held at the ruins of the Uchiha compound, on the day after they arrived, when an angry Naruto burst into the Hokage's office and unceremoniously threw him over a shoulder, carrying him away despite his protests.

A couple of minutes later, the blond dropped him on a stool at Ichiraku's.

"Here. You deal with them. And YOU," he said, looking at the assembled kunoichi around them, "let me eat my fucking ramen in peace, ok?" he growled, grabbing his unfinished bowl and moving to sit at the corner of the stall.

Sasuke looked around, suddenly intimidated by the looming presence of many curious females. "What?" he asked, frowning.

Sakura gave him a Cheshire grin. "Nothing. We just want to know which one of you tops." She asked.

"And what makes you think we'd tell you?" he asked in a tired voice, knowing it would be no use to try to wriggle himself out of this, at least while Naruto was eating.

The blond had been stationed at Ichiraku's since breakfast, having sent previous word of their arrival so the stall owner could stock up, and Sasuke had given up counting how many bowls had been consumed at about the time he had been halfway through his only portion. From then to now it had been half a day already, and the blond gave no signs of being sated.

"Oh, you'll tell us," Anko said with a smirk, while cracking her knuckles. "We have money invested on it, so 'fess up, Uchiha"

He gave them a bored look.

"Naruto," he said, and left the stall before the women recovered from their shock.

That night, a very angry blonde entered their guest rooms at the Hokage Tower (Teuchi having long since rented out Naruto's old apartment).

"You had ONE job, damn it! ONE. FUCKING. JOB. To tell them to fuck off without saying anything. But no, you had to tell them! Have you got any idea how many hours those rabid women tortured me for details on our sex life? I have never been more embarrassed in my life!" he growled, shooting eye-daggers at the Uchiha.

Sasuke shrugged. "I had more important things to do and it took them off my back," he gave him a mischievous smirk, before heading into the bathroom, dropping his clothes on the way.

It took all of five minutes for Naruto to stomp into the bathroom, completely pissed off, but also buck naked.

"Damn asshole, turning my genius anti-fangirl strategy on my face," the blond muttered, grabbing the washcloth to rub Sasuke's back, grumbling as the man snickered.

And then it was the tenth day of October.

It was sunrise when the small procession left the Hokage tower.

The six people following the monk were still rubbing their heads. Laughing at Sasuke in full Shugenja garb had been inevitable, even if the Uchiha had cut his hair and so the teeny tiny round, pointed hat had to compete with his duckbutt and shorter bangs to be noticed.

At least his order didn't demand the novices to shave their heads, he thought. Even so, he had whacked all his six ex-teammates upside the head with his staff, for the principle of the thing.

Suigetsu complained the most, having had to run like crazy away from both Sasuke's fireballs (Kakashi had made him promise NOT to use Amaterasu on the Mist nin, for fear of having to rebuild the village yet again) and Naruto's Rasenganns the moment the couple laid their eyes on him. It took him a good three hours to finally drop on his knees and beg for forgiveness, having come out of it with his entire body covered in sticky red pepper powder, which was still embedded in his body – yes, IN his body, because Suigetsu, being himself, tried to liquefy to get rid of it, and it spread to his insides as well – this morning.

Of course, due to Kakashi's insistence that he tasted some weird yoghurt-based dish at breakfast, he was now at the end of the throng, whining and cursing every time he farted

They made their way to the old Uchiha district, now in ruins, and entered through the back gate, after Sasuke stopped and said a small prayer.

Naruto and Juugo respectively played the small drum and the rattle to call the ancestor spirits of the Uchiha clan, while Sasuke held the small brazier for the holy herbs with which he adjusted the energy in all the murder sites to free the souls.

Naruto and Karin held back their tears as they, like all Uzumaki could, saw the ghosts coming out of the ruins to follow them. Men, women, children, elders moved alongside the living, many of them cheering the end of the Curse of Hatred.

Two hours passed until they reached the main house ruins.

The procession – living and ghosts, held back by Juugo's rattle – stopped respectfully outside the site, while Sasuke entered, followed by Naruto.

"Oh my gods, it's Sasuke's parents," Karin whispered quietly.

Sasuke quietly went through the room, doing his best to ignore Naruto's sobbing.

"You're Kushina's little boy, Naruto, aren't you?" Mikoto's ghost asked him with a smile, while Fugaku's watched their son with a humbled, awed expression.

Naruto nodded in silence, trying to keep as composed as he could in order to keep the rhythm of his small drum.

"Thank you so much for taking care of our son," she said, and hugged him, before viciously elbowing her husband. "Get over here and greet your son-in-law, Fugaku! Have you forgotten your manners just because you died?" she muttered, and Naruto couldn't hold back his smile. No wonder Sasuke's and his own mom were best friends.

Fugaku came closer and bowed to Naruto. "No need to bow back, son, your work is more important," he said, and Naruto nodded, the tears rolling down his cheek. "Please… please tell Sasuke I'm very, very proud of him. And that we thank him for freeing us to be with Itachi," the ghost asked, and Naruto nodded again.

They left the house in silence, and went forward, to finally stop at a tall stone, engraved with all the names of the victims of the massacre, including Itachi.

Next to it was a bucket of water and a ladle, and Sasuke lowered the brazier to the ground, motioning for Naruto to stop the drumming, before he began washing the monument with the water, while saying the prayers that would finally set the souls of his kin free, once and for all.

The Uzumakis cried as they saw Mikoto and Fugaku hug their son, before their ghosts dissipated in the morning light.

Afterwards, everyone laid a white lotus flower each at the foot of the small memorial.

Naruto hugged the monk tightly. "Your dad said he's proud of you, teme. And your mom is feisty like mine, heh. They asked me to thank you for freeing them so they can be with Itachi," he said quietly, and Sasuke looked at him, startled.

"It's true, I saw it too," Karin said, and smiled. "You did a great job, they all left happy."

It was then that the last Uchiha of Konoha let the last of his barriers fall, and burst into tears into the arms of his lover and his friends-turned-family, as he finally cried his last goodbyes to the ghosts of his past, in order to fully embrace his future.

The fifth anniversary of the end of the war was commemorated at the island. Too many Uzumaki and Uchiha had decided to move there after being found by Karin to make the trip to Konoha a viable option, so all of Naruto's friends decided to hold the party there instead.

Haruka and Naruto had bought a small farm at the northeast end of the island to feed the island's clerics, and the other family members decided to add to it. Soon it was a fairly large amount of land, with a cluster of homes in the middle that already looked suspiciously as another village in the making.

Black-haired and redheaded barefooted kids played soccer in the little dirt road that led to the main house, and cheered when the guests arrived.

"What the hell were you doing in the kitchen, dead last? Stop hogging all the food, you damn glutton!" Sasuke complained while dragging the blond out by an ear, having been called in by an angry Karin, who was serving as the last line of defense against both Naruto's and her husband's, the huge blacksmith Uchiha Atsushi, attacks on the baked goods cooling on the tables.

"It's not my fault! Auntie Chiyoko makes the best pastries anywhere!" Naruto yelped, crumbs dotting his guilty-looking face.

"Wait, Uchiha Chiyoko is baking?" Sakura exclaimed as she arrived at the main house, and rushed up the stairs, pushing pink-haired little Obito onto Sasuke's lap before chucking off her shoes and hurrying in after the legendary baker.

"Why the hell does everyone push their kids on top of me?" Sasuke complained to Kakashi, who gave him a tired look.

"Wanna trade? I'll get the brat, you carry her bags," the former copy-nin said, before dragging a multitude of luggage in.

"Naruto you get down here to help with the setup or else there ain't gonna be no ramen for you!" Choji yelled from the back of the house, where he, one of Sasuke's cousins, one of Naruto's uncles and old man Teuchi were trying to make sense of the portable kitchen's assembly instructions. The blond kissed his spouse's lips and hurried out.

Five hours and a lot of arguments later, the party was finally going strong, everyone pretty much drunk off their asses except for Juugo and Lee, who were dizzy too, but from spinning all the kids, and Gaara, who was busy discussing the educational needs of the Wind Country with Iruka while bouncing his niece, Shikamaru and Temari's first born, on his knee.

Sasuke got up and discreetly stalked after Naruto, who had gone down the cellar to get more sake.

He pushed a crate of bottles he had already left strategically close out the door, and locked it before turning off the lights and searching for the Jinchuuriki.

Naruto had just turned around a shelf when he saw a couple of candles lit on the floor, beside their old inflatable mattress, and frowned in confusion when the lights went out, only to smile knowingly when he felt strong arms hugging him from behind.

"Happy birthday, usuratonkachi. Are you happy?" Sasuke greeted with a husky voice on his ear, and Naruto sighed contentedly.

"Yup. Now hurry up and make me even happier, ttebayo," the Uzumaki said, before pulling him into a kiss.

They lived as happily ever after as any normal couple within large clans, full of somewhat crazy, different people, could live.

And the world settled into a manageable peace, where ninja and civilians respected and cherished each other as much as human nature allowed, and wars became a rarity.

Which is pretty much exactly the best they could ever hope for.

A/N: You can see the full Shugenja garb Sasuke wears in a link at the bottom of my profile.

And yes, Shugenjas do use wooden staffs, it's just not shown in that particular picture. You can google to see the various models :D